To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu.
-----------------------------------------------
This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,
located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.
-----------------------------------------------

Appeared on: Friday, April 05, 2002
InPhase Technologies to demonstrate "TAPESTRY", first HoloGraphic Video recording system at NAB 2002

InPhase Technologies, the leader in holographic data storage development, today announced that it will demonstrate the world's first holographic video recording system, TapestryTM, at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, from April 8-10. This marks the first conclusive technology demonstration of optical video recording's next phase, which enables far greater capacities and transfer rates than DVD or other optical technology.

The Tapestry system will be initially targeted at professional video applications -- including editing, digital video effects, and both near-line and archival storage. The Tapestry media is a significant industry breakthrough, representing the first stable holographic data storage media.

According to IDC, implementation of storage devices is estimated to exceed 1.3 million terabytes in 2003. As digital video recording applications increase, particularly in the professional sector, removable storage capacity needs will grow accordingly, providing opportunities for holographic data storage.

Based on more than eight years of research and development, conducted mostly at Bell Labs, the Tapestry system will include both drive and media products developed by InPhase, and will be licensed to key industry partners. InPhase is targeting product delivery in limited volume by the end of 2003, with volume shipments targeted for 2004.

"The next generation of video storage will be holographic, and will enable professionals to edit, transfer, and archive more efficiently than ever before," said Nelson Diaz, president and CEO of InPhase Technologies. "At NAB, we will introduce the industry to the kind of low-cost, long-life, high-capacity, ultra-reliable removable medium for which they've been waiting years. Our meetings with the professional video industry have been well-received, and we're ready to move forward together with the kind of product that will help transform video storage as we know it."

While future generations of the Tapestry product will provide terabytes of storage on a single disk, the initial Tapestry write-once product will be capable of recording 100 gigabytes (GB) of video, enough to hold more than 20 compressed feature films on one disk, or roughly 30 minutes of uncompressed high-definition video.

At a transfer rate of 20 megabytes per second (MB/s), the Tapestry drive will satisfy a variety of professional video applications, including digital cinema. While other storage technologies record information only on the surface of the media, holographic media is recorded throughout the entire volume. This process inherently enables greater levels of security than with other optical recording technologies.

The breakthrough technology enabling this is InPhase's two-chemistry polymer Tapestry media that is dimensionally and thermally stable, has high photosensitivity, and can be provided to customers at a very competitive price, with an archival life of 30 years. InPhase's Tapestry media is currently being evaluated by a number of companies.

"As the post-production industry continues to migrate to the desktop environment, it makes sense to move toward the next wave in video storage," said Jerry Romano, director of business development for The Image Group. "InPhase has outlined a product that is very competitively priced and can adapt to any environment in this industry. The Tapestry system, even in its first generation, will address the needs of the high-end facility, complementing existing systems, such as the Avid Symphony, for uncompressed video."

The Tapestry system will support high-speed interfaces such as SCSI and fibre-channel for video transfer. The transfer rates will be significantly higher than that offered by other optical recording technologies. Combined with the media's robust, flexible nature, the Tapestry system is ideal for HD applications, representing the original image with no degradation.

TAPESTRY: HOW IT WORKS

The InPhase Tapestry system projects holograms into the media when the signal beam and reference beam intersect. Data is encoded onto the signal beam by a spatial light modulator (SLM), which translates electronic data in an optical array of 1.3 million bits. Data is read when the reference beam deflects off the hologram, which is then projected onto a detector. This process is conducted in parallel, enabling extremely fast transfer rates.

InPhase Technologies is the leading developer of holographic data storage (HDS) recording media and systems. Based in Longmont, Colorado, InPhase was founded in 2000, and is comprised of some of the storage industry's leading executives and scientists. The company holds more than 40 patents in the area of holographic storage, and has developed breakthrough technologies that enable the first commercial products for the HDS industry. Originally formed as a Lucent Technologies venture, from within the physical sciences research division at Bell Labs, InPhase is backed by investors including Signal Lake, Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU), Coller Capital, Madison Dearborn Partners, Newton Technology Partners, and Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN). For more information on InPhase, please visit the company's Web site at www.inphase-tech.com.